( >j/rom Joyce Taylor, I have 

 <S learned. 



There's no species of fish or 

 shellfish I won't sink my teeth into 

 and no cooking method I won't 



She's given me confidence to 

 cook seafood for family and guests 

 on almost any occasion. 



I've delighted neighbors with 

 smoked fish dip at Christmas and 

 warmed my family on a cold 

 winter's day with a rich seafood 

 stew. 



Friends and neighbors call me 

 for seafood advice. I'm knowl- 

 edgeable, but I owe it all to Taylor. 



I find myself spewing informa- 

 tion from the latest Mariner's 

 Menu or brochure to shoppers at 

 the grocery store. I offer them 

 suggestions about species selection 

 anapreparation. Yes, I'm a fish 

 and shellfish know-it-all. 



And I'm sure I terrorize the 

 folks who work behind the seafood 



Kathy's Farewell 



counter. I ask too many questions. How 

 long ago was this fish delivered to the 

 store? Was it fresh or frozen? If it's 

 fresh, where was it caught and when? 

 And yes, I do ask for the opportunity to 

 whiff my potential grocery-store catch. 



All Taylor's training. 



Although my penchant for cleanli- 

 ness in the kitchen began with my 

 mother, it has been strengthened by 

 Taylor. 



Seafood doesn't sit in my refrigera- 

 tor indefinitely. I use fresh fish within 

 two days or freeze it at the outset. I 

 thaw all frozen fish and shellfish in the 

 refrigerator or under cold running 

 water, never at room temperature. 



And when I marinate the 

 fisherman's catch, the saturation 

 process occurs under refrigeration. 



I wash my hands and sterilize my 

 plastic cutting board after any contact 

 with raw fish or shellfish. Anything that 

 touches raw seafood is whisked into the 

 dishwasher faster than you can say 

 "clean plate." 



And I'm always mindful about 

 how long any seafood product 

 has been un refrigerated. 



What's worse, I'm constantly 

 evangelizing my safety and 

 cleanliness ethics to others. I've 

 been known to take plates off the 

 grill, cutting boards off the counter 

 and utensils off the table at the 

 homes of others. I do it discreetly, 

 mind you. 



Now, I will be lost without my 

 seafood mentor. 



Who will I call when I want a 

 recipe for pasta with smoked 

 salmon or a marinade for grouper 

 cheeks? Who will tell me whe ther I 

 can use canned crabmeat in my 

 next batch of gumbo? Who can I 

 evoke as my seafood authority 

 when I beg the grillmaster at an 

 outdoor cookout not to overcook 

 the seafood? 



Joyce, is your home number 

 in the phone book? □ 



on a scale of 1 to 5 — were deemed 

 acceptable. Recipes that didn't pass 

 were altered and tested again. Some 

 received a passing grade on the 

 second attempt; others simply failed. 



Taylor says her taste testers — 

 the Carteret County Nutrition Leaders 

 — are a tough sell when it comes to 

 recipes. Many have been helping 

 Taylor test seafood recipes for more 

 than 15 years. 



"If a recipe gets by this group 

 then I know it's good," Taylor says. 



The taste testers also evaluate the 

 recipes she publishes in her quarterly 

 newsletter. Readers are appreciative 

 of Taylor's work and her dedication 

 to high quality, frequently writing to 

 thank her or ask additional questions. 



At the mention of questions, 



Taylor laughs. Through her years of 

 extension service, she's fielded an 

 array of interesting and unusual 

 questions from the public. 



Callers have demanded that 

 Taylor identify species or determine 

 whether a fish was fresh or not over 

 the phone. She's been asked for 

 recipes that include squid ink, octopus 

 and eel. Desperate wives of recre- 

 ational anglers have called on the 

 Monday morning after a big fishing 

 trip to ask what they can do with a 

 cooler brimming with fresh fish. 



She's seen all the food and 

 seafood crazes of the last 20 years — 

 fried fish, Cajun cooking (blackened 

 redfish, gumbos, Creoles and 

 etoufees), imitation seafood, shark, 

 salmon, smoked fish, Tex-Mex and 



America's renewed fascination with 

 the grill. 



But strangest of all was a cooking 

 fad that circulated several years ago. 

 People were wrapping their fish in 

 aluminum foil, placing them in the 

 dishwasher, setting the dial for the 

 normal wash cycle and letting the 

 dishwasher do the cooking. 



"I couldn't believe it," Taylor 

 says. "It was the strangest thing." 



First and foremost, dishwasher 

 cooking wasn't safe. Cooks couldn't 

 be assured the fish reached an internal 

 temperature that rendered it safe to 

 eat. To be assured of killing any 

 bacteria or pathogens present, fish 

 should reach an internal temperature 

 of 145 F for five minutes. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 13 



